January 1990:
The Brooklyn Museum’s collection of Chinese cloisonné enamel vessels will be featured in a special exhibition entitled The Blue of Jingtai: The Samuel P. Avery Collection of Chinese Cloisonné Vessels at The Brooklyn Museum. It will open in the Chinese Gallery, located on the second floor, on February 9 and remain on view through August 6, 1990.

The exhibition consists of approximately 35 exemplary pieces that were part of a group donated to the Museum in 1909 by the noted collector of American art Samuel P. Avery, Jr. “Jingtai lan,” the most familiar Chinese name for cloisonné, translates as “the blue of the Jingtai era.” Jingtai refers to the reign of Ming emperor Zhu Qiyu (1428-1457), whose patronage of cloisonné is probably apocryphal. Most of the objects date from the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), particularly the era of the Qianlong emperor (1736-1796), when renewed imperial patronage resulted in the prolific production of refined pieces in various archaistic shapes. Highlights include a late Ming dynasty Pilgrim Flask (2nd half of the 17th century), a Ming dynasty or early Qing Kangxi era Garden Seat (1st half of the 17th century)[,] and a Ming dynasty Ewer with Cover (late 16th-early 17th century). The display marks the first time that these objects have been reassembled in the context of new research since their original display at the Museum in 1912.

Accompanying the exhibition will be a display of highlights from the permanent Chinese collection.

The Blue of Jingtai was organized by Amy G. Poster, Curator of Asian Art, and Xiaoping Lin, the Museum’s new Assistant Curator of Asian Art. It is made possible by a generous grant from the J. Aron Charitable Foundation, Inc.

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